The 2027 governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Oyo State, Bimbo Adekanmbi, has denied responsibility for allegations surrounding N30 billion said to have gone missing during his tenure as Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Planning under the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi.
Adekanmbi, who served as Commissioner for Finance in the Ajimobi administration, said the allegation should not be linked to the Oyo State Ministry of Finance, insisting that the money in question involved local government finances and that he had no role in the meetings where the alleged transactions occurred.
Speaking on Tuesday during an appearance on Arise News’ The Morning Show, the former commissioner maintained that the issue was outside his responsibility, stressing that he never attended any Joint Accounts Committee (JAC) meeting.
“The 30 billion, I didn’t say it got missing. You must separate the Oyo State Government from the local government. The money went missing in local government. I never attended one JAC meeting. The money is there, the records are there, the resignations should focus on local government of which I have absolutely no impact, none at all.”
Adekanmbi’s comments come as attention grows around his record in government following his emergence as the APM candidate seeking to succeed Governor Seyi Makinde in the 2027 election.
Vanguard had previously reported that Adekanmbi, a former Commissioner for Finance under Ajimobi, emerged as the APM governorship candidate at the party’s primary election held in Ibadan in May.
Beyond the N30 billion controversy, Adekanmbi also spoke about his political relationship with Makinde, his position on the 2027 presidential election and his plans to support the governor’s presidential ambition.
Addressing claims that Makinde personally imposed him as the APM governorship candidate, Adekanmbi said his emergence followed consultations and engagements across Oyo State.
“The governor did not just sit down in his office and drop a list. There was a process leading to the emergence of all the candidates,” he said.
“There were public consultations and public engagements, with input from every sector and region of Oyo State. The governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives and House of Assembly candidates all emerged by consensus,” he added.
Adekanmbi said the process did not result in the internal crisis that some political observers had predicted.
“And as you can see, there has been no rancour as such in the party. There were a lot of doomsday predictions that once this happens, the party will implode and explode but none of that has happened,” he said.
On his decision to campaign on the continuity of Makinde’s administration under the “Omituntun 3.0” agenda, Adekanmbi rejected suggestions that he was acting as the governor’s surrogate.
“The second one, why am I saying Omituntun 3.0, am I a surrogate? I’m no surrogate to Governor Makinde. Governor Makinde has made it clear at many fora that ‘Bimbo, don’t inherit my enemies or liabilities; go and chart your own part,’” he said.
Adekanmbi also recalled an occasion when Makinde publicly encouraged people to support his governorship bid, while stressing that he would remain responsible for his own decisions if elected governor.
“The second time, at the last Hijra, he said to people who sat there that Bimbo is going to be your next governor, vote him. I will not make a call on anybody’s behalf to Bimbo and for me, I’m owning every action I take as governor as I’ve always owned actions in my life, so I own it. I am prepared, I have my own manifesto and strategy,” Adekanmbi said.
Adekanmbi, who has served under different administrations in Oyo State, also reflected on the experience he gained while working under former governors Rashidi Ladoja, the late Abiola Ajimobi and Seyi Makinde.
“If I’m going to be a third term, I’ll be second term to Governor Akala, second term to Ladoja, third term to Governor Ajimobi, and third term to Seyi Makinde,” he said.
“I have been able to learn from the four of them and gotten insights on their strengths and weaknesses,” he added.
Source: Arise News
